- Ethereum price slipped 4.63% to $4,303, even as it remains up 94% over the last six months.
- Spot ETH ETFs recorded $4B inflows in August, including a $300M investment from BlackRock.
- On-chain activity hit records with $135B in DEX volume, 48M payments, and $240B locked in DeFi.
Ethereum had a rough weekend, with prices dipping even as institutional money continues to pour in. ETH slid 4.63% over the last 24 hours, settling around $4,303 after briefly touching $4,438 earlier in the session. The drop came despite a wave of fresh capital — over $4 billion in inflows to spot ETFs during August — and surging on-chain activity that broke multiple records.
Short-Term Pressure Meets Long-Term Gains
Charts showed Ethereum facing heavy selling early on August 31, sliding to $4,320 before staging a weak rebound, only to fall again toward $4,280 later in the day. This short-term pain doesn’t erase the bigger picture though. ETH is still up 13% in the past month, nearly 94% over the last six months, and a staggering 980% across five years.
Analysts point to the usual market churn: quick sell-offs that pressure short-term prices, while broader sentiment remains strong. Ethereum’s longer trend lines show steady accumulation and historical resilience, with institutional demand underpinning the fundamentals.
Institutions Step In as ETFs Pull $4B in August
August was a big month for Ethereum’s ETF products. Data from SoSoValue shows spot ETH ETFs absorbed $4 billion in inflows during the month, pushing their combined net assets up to $29.51 billion. On August 29 alone, ETFs recorded $39.16 million in daily inflows, highlighting a steady pipeline of demand.
The most eye-catching move came from BlackRock, which dropped $300 million into Ethereum earlier this month. That signal alone sent ripples through the market, with many analysts interpreting it as a sign of growing institutional confidence in ETH’s long-term role. Monthly ETF inflows, which had hovered between $1–2 billion from January through June, suddenly surged in August — a rebound that suggests big money is lining up behind Ethereum.
Ethereum’s On-Chain Metrics Show Strength
Even as the price dipped, Ethereum’s network was busier than ever. DEX trading volumes jumped to $135 billion in August, up from $87 billion in July — the highest monthly total recorded in 2025. Futures activity climbed too, with CME open interest in ETH reaching new highs.
Ethereum processed 48 million payments in August, while the number of active addresses hit 15 million. Meanwhile, total value locked in Ethereum-based DeFi protocols soared past $240 billion, cementing ETH’s status as the backbone of decentralized finance.
For now, ETH seems caught between short-term sell pressure and long-term optimism. Prices may wobble, but the data tells a different story — institutional money is flowing in, network usage is surging, and Ethereum’s ecosystem looks stronger than ever heading into the final stretch of 2025.
